


Charming Beginnings

by Bk_Betty



Series: The Adventures of Jax and Issa [2]
Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Sons of Anarchy, F/M, Female Character of Color
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:08:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26014780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bk_Betty/pseuds/Bk_Betty
Summary: A look back at how Jax and Issa got together guest starring a long suffering Opie Winston.
Relationships: Jax Teller/Original Character(s), Jax Teller/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Adventures of Jax and Issa [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1884274
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	1. Jax

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one shot based on my series A Different Kind of Charming. You don’t have to read it to understand this story but it helps! This is a bit longer than I thought it would be and switches between Jax, Issa and Opie’s point of view.

* * *

The loud shrill of his phone drags Jax kicking and screaming into consciousness. He opens one eye and immediately regrets it. He forgot to close the blinds in his dorm last night and the sun is assaulting his hungover brain. He bangs his hand around the nightstand until the alarm goes off. The silence is a blessing because his head is pounding.

Last night the club celebrated the launch of the ready-to-ship line of SAMCRO Custom Choppers bikes. It was a huge undertaking, designing a new catalog of bikes that had mass appeal but maintained the look and feel of a SCC original. The entire team had worked hard and last night, they partied accordingly.

Jax is just drifting back to blissful sleep when his phone begins blaring “Don’t Stop Believing”.

“For fuck’s sake,” he mumbles. If it was any other ringtone, he would simply ignore it. But you do not ignore Isabelle Trager.

“I swear to god, I’m gonna find out how you keep changing my ringtone, you she-devil.”

She answers with a laugh that reminds him a bit too much of a Bond villain. “Good luck with that, Fred Flintstone. It took you a week to figure out how to answer a call.”

“Shut up,” Jax says, reaching for a cigarette. If he’s going to be up this early, he needs one.

“I’m giving you 20 minutes to get your ass up and dressed. Throw in a shower because you probably smell like a wino after last night.”

Jax rolls his eyes and then winces. Even his eyeballs hurt. At the party, he got cocky and challenged Issa to a shots contest. He lost miserably. Opie had to call it when Jax could no longer stand on his own. The entire time Issa barely even looked buzzed. The woman had a stomach and liver made of iron. How she was even up and functioning this early was beyond him.

“Why the fuck did I agree to this?” he asks, more to himself than anything.

“Because you’re a good friend. Or because I threatened to give Delilah Harper your new phone number. One of the two.”

Jax takes a drag of his cigarette, huffing out a semblance of a laugh. “You’re an evil woman, you know that?”

Delilah was a relatively new croweater with stars in her eyes. While most of the women who hung around the club knew the guys were only looking for fun, Delilah had ambitions of becoming an old lady. Jax made the colossal mistake of sleeping with her two months ago. Since then, she’s been relentless - showing up at every club party, bringing him lunch at SCC (much to his father’s immense amusement, the fucker) and “accidentally” running into him around town. She got a hold of his phone number and called so much, he had to change it. He has told her time and time again that he’s not looking for a relationship. She seems to be taking that as a challenge.

“I need muscle and a truck, I don’t care how I get it. See you in 15!”

“What happened to giving me 20 minutes?”

“I knocked off five because you’re being a whiny bitch,” she told him before unceremoniously hanging up.

He finishes his cigarette wondering why he lets the little terror he calls a best friend boss him around.

 _Because you’re in love with her and don’t have the balls to do anything about it_ , a voice inside his head tells him. One that sounds a lot like Opie.

Jax and Issa have been friends their entire lives. Even though she lived with her grandparents during the school year, the two were practically inseparable. Opie is his brother, no doubt, but Issa… Issa was something else entirely. He tries not to think about what that “something else” is most of the time.

He manages to shower and get dressed with four minutes to spare. He grabs his keys, phone and cigarettes before going in search of coffee. He’s going to need a lot of it. He knows Issa will be loud and make a lot of unnecessary noise just to fuck with him. Because she is clearly the antichrist. He is fixing himself a cup of caffeinated gold when the kitchen door swings open.

“Hey there, Jax,” he hears and immediately wishes he was anywhere but here.

With a deep sigh and a string of internal cursing, he turns around. And how the fuck did she get so close so damn fast?

“Hey, darlin’” he says, maneuvering around Delilah and setting his sights on the kitchen door. He doesn’t get very far before she grabs his arm.

“What’s the rush? I haven’t seen you in days. I almost think you’re trying to avoid me,” she complains, her overly done lips pouting.

 _I am_ , he thinks to himself. He doesn't have time for a stage four clinger this morning. If he’s not outside waiting by his truck, Issa will raise holy hell. And he’d rather fight a grizzly barehanded than deal with an angry Issa.

“Nah, been busy. Speaking of which, I need to get…”

“I heard about the new bikes!” she cuts him off. She leans against the wall in what Jax can only assume she thinks is a sexy pose. “I wanted to congratulate you last night but Gemma had us all busy.”

That’s because Gemma thinks Delilah is a gold digging tramp. She also thinks Jax is a fucking idiot for sleeping with her.

“That’s quicksand pussy, Jax. You stuck your dick in it, now it’s holding on tight,” she’d told him. But only _after_ he slept with Delilah. Which did him absolutely no good.

To be honest, he doesn’t really remember much of their night together. Him and Issa had argued about something stupid and it left him frustrated and inexplicably horny. Then again, most anything Issa did left him horny. He’d gone to the clubhouse and downed half a bottle of Jack.

He vaguely recalls Delilah coming up to him, dressed in a gold lame tube top and high waisted shorts with those cute sailor buttons on them. The only reason he remembers her outfit is because he kept thinking Issa would look hotter in it. After that, things got a little fuzzy.

What wasn’t fuzzy was what happened the next morning. Usually, croweaters know to leave without a fuss if they fall asleep in a member’s bed. Not Delilah. When he woke up, she was wrapped around him like an octopus.

He tried being polite, telling her he had a busy day and needed to get going. She simply stretched, offering to clean his room and wait for him to return later. When he became more insistent, saying he didn’t leave anyone alone in his dorm room, she went to “freshen up” in his bathroom. What she really did was lock herself in there, hoping he’d give up and let her stay.

Jax is not ashamed to admit he went to get his mother. Gemma gave her 30 seconds to get out before she kicked down the door and dragged Delilah out by her hair. Needless to say, that worked.

“Yeah. Well I really gotta head out…”

“So when can we meet up again?” Delilah bulldozes right over him. “We had a lot of fun that night.”

“Look, Delilah, you’re a sweet girl and all but like I keep telling you, I’ve got a lot going on right now. I don’t have time for anything but work and the club.”

“I’m easy going,” she lies through her teeth. “It doesn’t have to be anything serious. I know you want me too.”

Before Jax can come up with a way to politely say, “fuck no, you crazy bitch”, a knife goes whizzing by the side of his face. It lands barely inches away from Delilah’s head and she lets out a blood curdling scream. Just what his head needs.

He turns around to see his saving grace - a pissed off Issa. “Maybe when someone says no, you listen, Delilah. Consent works both ways, _darlin’_.”

He barely stops himself from pushing Issa against the wall and fucking her senseless. Cause that? That was insanely hot. He’s got a thing for a woman (read: Issa) who knows her way around a weapon. Happy and Tig have been teaching her how to shoot and use knives since Issa was seven. Her accuracy rivals almost anyone in all of the SOA chapters, not just Charming. And it turns him on like a light switch every time he sees her use one.

Delilah hightails it out of the kitchen, calling Issa a fucking psycho as she runs away.

“Thank you!” Issa calls after her in a sweet as pie voice. She’s a goddamn menace.

Fuck does he love her.

She walks past him to retrieve her knife, giving him an alarming amount of side eye. He knows his womanizing disappoints her. She’s told him on more than one occasion he deserves better. He doesn’t want to risk their friendship by saying what he really wants is her. So he lets her think he’s a man whore instead. Which, he pretty much is. But he’d follow her around like an obedient puppy if she ever gave him a chance.

“Maybe that will get her off my back,” he says, giving Issa a kiss on the cheek.

She rolls her eyes and stomps out of the kitchen. “Maybe if you didn’t pass your dick around like candy at Halloween, you wouldn’t have this problem.”

She doesn’t say a word to him as they make their way to his truck. _This is going to be a long fucking day_ , he sighs inwardly.

He gets into the driver’s seat and waits to see if she’s going to say anything. When she doesn’t, he gives up and starts the truck.

“Where’s this place again?” he breaks the silence, lighting another cigarette.

Issa read about a restaurant equipment auction house near Lodi. Her and Lyla have a strict budget for opening their bakery but don’t want to compromise on equipment. She’s been bugging him to borrow his truck to check out this auction for days. And by borrowing his truck, she means him being her chauffeur and grunt laborer.

“Take Route 99 North about 5 miles and I’ll guide you from there,” she says, not even looking up from her phone.

“You gonna pout the entire way?”

“I’m not pouting, Jax. It’s fine… what you do with your dick is your own business.”

He takes a drag of his cigarette, blowing out the smoke before looking over at her. “I can hear the but in there, so spit it out.”

Instead of answering him, she fiddles with his radio until she finds a classic rock station. Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd floods the truck. It’s one of her favorite songs and because it reminds him of her, one of his too. They let the guitar and vocals wash over them for a few minutes before she finally speaks.

“When’s the last time you took a girl seriously? Tara?”

He wants to tell her he didn’t even take Tara seriously but that would lead to questions he does not want to answer. So he shrugs his shoulders instead.

“And that was over four years ago. Don’t you get tired of the endless string of croweaters with limited vocabularies?”

“Baby girl, I’m not messing around with them for stimulating conversation.”

“Oh I know what you’re trying to get stimulated. But you’re also gonna end up with a side order of chlamydia or the clap. Your dick probably needs to be dipped in bleach at this point.”

“Why are you so fucking crass? Can’t you just say you’re worried about my health.”

“I did. Why else would I suggest you bleach your dick?”

“Can we stop talking about my dick?” he says a bit too loudly.

Especially since his window is down and they’re at a stop light. With a family in a minivan next to him. The mother gives him a withering glare. He smiles and waves before driving off at the green light.

“Thanks for that, by the way.”

“I didn’t tell you to go screaming about your junk for anyone to hear,” Issa can barely speak because she’s laughing so hard.

“I fucking hate you. Demon spawn.”

“Awwww,” she reaches over and pinches his cheek. “Is the Prince of Charming a grumpy bear this morning? Who’s a grumpy bear? Is it you?”

He bats her hand away and just like that, they’re back to being Jax and Issa.

They make it to the auction a good hour before bidding starts. Issa pulls out a notepad with a list and marches up and down the aisles with purpose.

Jax is thrilled Issa decided to open a bakery in Charming. When she told him Duff Goldman offered her a job, he thought for sure she’d take it. But she surprised everyone, especially Duff, and announced she was moving home. She’s only been back a few months and they’re already inseparable yet again.

Both Opie and Donna have been pushing Jax to confess his feelings to her. A large part of him wants to. Badly. He’s been in love with Issa for as long as he can remember. She not only understands him, she loves SAMCRO just as much as he does. She’s bailed him out countless times at crazy hours of the night, no questions asked. And on more than one occasion, she’s capped someone in the knee to help him get an advantage in a fight. She is the very definition of his ride or die. Which is why he’s afraid to say anything and potentially lose that. Instead, he keeps quiet and drowns himself in pussy. If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with, as the song goes.

She ends up buying a massive stand mixer, a few steel top work tables, a double deck convection oven and various display cases for their front counter. The oven and stand mixer are being delivered directly to the bakery, so Jax and some douche trying to impress Issa load everything else onto his truck. He pushes her into the passenger seat before the dude can ask for her number.

On their way back to Charming, Gemma calls him. He hands his phone to Issa so she can put it on speaker.

“Why did I have that stupid twat crying in my office this morning about Issa trying to kill her?”

Gemma has no idea how to start a conversation politely.

Issa busts out laughing, which only serves to annoy his mother more. “My knife was nowhere near a vital organ.”

“I am too busy to clean up whatever mess the two of you made. Fucking terror twins.”

Gemma started calling them the terror twins when they were around nine and ten. She went outside to chat with a neighbor and not even four minutes later, smelled smoke. Rushing in, she found the two of them smiling like angels while her sofa and curtains were on fire behind them. They refused to tell her how it happened or throw the other one under the bus.

“I was saving your son from a scorching case of herpes, Gemma.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Jax mutters.

It would be really nice to have a best friend and mother who didn’t talk so openly about his sex life. Or at least not while he’s around.

“Look, I don’t care what he does with his dick as long as he wraps it. But I don’t wanna deal with that bunny boiler girlfriend of his anymore. Her crying could wake up the dead.”

“She’s not my girlfriend! Geez. I slept with her once and I don’t even remember it!”

Issa gives him a pitying look. “Man. All that hassle she’s giving you and you don’t even remember getting your rocks off? Seems wrong somehow.”

Jax is seriously contemplating jumping out of his running truck to avoid this conversation.

“Anyways, you coming over for dinner tonight, Issa? I’m picking up steaks from The German”

Issa shifts around a bit in her seat. “Uhmm… no. I kinda have plans.”

Jax does _not_ like the way she said “plans”. He’s itching to ask her about them but doesn’t want to come off as a jealous asshole. Luckily for him, Gemma is nosy as fuck and has zero boundaries.

“What plans? With who?”

Issa sighs and he can see her watching him out of the corner of his eye. Whatever she’s doing tonight, she does not want him to know. And he _really_ doesn’t like that.

“Just uhhh… dinner with a friend. No one you’d know.”

“Does this friend have a dick that he wants to stick inside you?”

God bless his mother.

“Gemma!” Issa hisses at his phone.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Does Tig know about it?”

“I’m an adult, Gem. I don’t have to ask my daddy for permission to go out on a date.”

And that right there? That fucking hurts. Because even though he won’t man up and confess his feelings, he’s a selfish, possessive bastard when it comes to Issa. He doesn't want another guy anywhere near her. Yes, he’s a hypocrite for fucking his way through Charming but wanting Issa to wait until he gets his shit together. Does he care that it makes him a hypocrite? Not a chance.

His hands tighten on the steering wheel. He tries not to ask who the fuck she’s seeing because he knows it’s none of his business. He lasts about twenty seconds.

“You going out with someone we don’t know? Who? What’s his name? Where’d you meet him?”

“Jesus Christ, Hawaii Five O. What’s with the interrogation?”

Gemma, who Jax suspects knows about his feelings, is suddenly very busy and hangs up fast. The one time he wants Gemma to be a bulldog about finding something out, she abandons him.

“Just curious. Wanna make sure this guy isn’t going to chain you up in his basement for kinky sex parties.”

Issa stares at him, eyes wide. “Wow. That was oddly specific.”

“What? You’re my best friend. I don’t wanna see you on Dateline.”

“Well no need to worry. I can handle myself.”

They reach the space Lyla and her recently started renting. It’s a cute storefront in the heart of downtown Charming, the perfect spot for a neighborhood bakery. Opie and a prospect named Juice are waiting to help him unload the truck.

As soon as Jax parks, Issa hops out. She’s avoiding answering his questions, which pisses him the fuck off. Why is she being so goddamn cagey about this “date”? They tell each other everything (a voice in his head whispers “not everything” and of course it sounds like Opie) but she clammed up when he asked for a name.

By the time they get everything into the shop, Issa has managed to slip out without him noticing. She is sorely mistaken if she thinks he’ll let this go. He’s gonna get to the bottom of this mystery date if it’s the last thing he does.


	2. Opie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opie has just about had it with Jax and his repressed emotions.

* * *

The minute they pull up to the bakery, Opie can sense the tension between his two best friends.

“Not this shit again,” he mumbles, dropping his cigarette to the ground and stepping on it.

Opie Winston has been watching this painfully drawn out dance between Issa and Jax for way too fucking long. He loves them both dearly but he’d really like to knock their heads together. Donna refuses to help him meddle, saying they need to figure it out on their own. But at this rate, Opie’s future children will have graduated college before that happens.

Whatever is going on now must be bad because Jax practically has steam coming out of his ears. And Issa is doing a masterful job of avoiding him. So much so, they don't even notice when she leaves. Juice, the coward, must have slipped out with her. When he looks out the window, he sees the TWM van is gone.

Great. Now he’s stuck with Jax’s moody ass.

They go to lock up, Issa having given them both spare keys to the store. It looks like it’s going to be a quiet ride back to the garage. Or so Opie thought. The minute Jax has the truck on the road, he unleashes his pent up anger.

“She’s got a goddamn date!”

_God, please deliver me from these two idiots_ , Opie thinks to himself.

“And?” Opie asks, trying to push Jax’s buttons. Maybe then he’ll man up and tell Issa how he feels.

Jax looks at Opie as if he’s grown a second head. “What do you mean _and_? She has some date with a douchebag we don’t know!”

“I’m not seeing the problem here. Last time I checked, Issa was an adult. Why does it matter to you who she dates? Not like you’re throwing your hat into the ring.”

Jax tosses his hands up in the air, no concern at all for the fact that he’s fucking driving.

“Excuse me for trying to be a good friend! We don’t know a damn thing about this so-called date of hers. He could be a serial killer. Or worse, a country club Republican asshole.”

“She actually might go out with a serial killer, then spend the date taking notes,” Opie muses.” Pretty sure she wouldn’t date a Republican, country club or otherwise.”

“Stranger things have happened!” Jax once again throws up his hands, not worrying Opie at all. “She was being weird about the whole thing and wouldn’t tell me his name.”

“Gee, I wonder why?” Opie deadpans.

Jax is notorious for scaring the shit out of Issa’s dates. Tig doesn’t even bother with shovel talks. He just sits back and waits for Jax to be a complete and utter asshole to any guy Issa brings home. Then, right before they leave, Tig pulls her date aside, all smiles and pats on the back. Which lulls the poor thing into a false sense of security. Tig then says some variation of, “That guy back there? He’ll dismember you while I watch if Issa comes home complaining about as little as the temperature in your car. Got it?” More than one guy has pissed his pants.

So Opie isn’t at all surprised Issa refused to give Jax a name. “How’d you even find out she has a date?”

“Ma called and invited her to dinner on our way back from Lodi. She got all squirrely and finally admitted she’s going out tonight. With a _guy_.”

Jax says “guy” like it’s a dirty word. Opie pulls out a joint because he cannot deal with this shit clear headed.

“If she’s not gonna tell us anything, we need to find out on our own.”

Opie wants to bang his head against the dashboard. Why didn’t he make friends with people who weren’t oblivious morons? That Louis kid in kindergarten who ate paste and stuck crayons up his nose suddenly doesn’t seem like a bad choice for a best friend.

“Meaning what exactly?”

“We tail her tonight, get a picture of this asshat and have Juice do his computer thing.”

“There are so many things wrong with that idea, I’m not sure where to even begin.”

“Look, are you going to help me or not?”

“I wouldn’t miss this train wreck for the world.”

Later that night, Jax picks up Opie for their “we’re only looking out for Issa, I’m not jealous” mission. When Opie gets a good look at his friend, he busts out laughing. Jax is wearing head to toe black - hoodie, loose jeans, knit hat and leather gloves. He’s even forgone his normal white Nikes in favor of plain black running shoes. He looks like he’s auditioning for Cat Burglar Number 3 in some crime reenactment show.

“You don’t look suspicious at all,” Opie tells him as they get into Jax’s truck.

“I thought we agreed to wear something that would help us blend in?”

Opie sighs and considers going back into his nice warm house, where his lovely fiancee is reading in bed. He could be balls deep in Donna instead of dealing with Jax and his repressed emotions. But nooo, he has to be a good friend.

He needs to make new friends. Maybe that Louis kid never left Charming. Opie wouldn’t even care if he still ate paste.

Jax turns onto Issa’s street, cuts his engine and lights, coasting until her driveway is in sight. Opie can almost hear Jax’s teeth grinding together when a Honda Accord pulls up. Some mousy looking dude gets out of the car with a bouquet of roses.

“Fucker. Issa hates roses,” Jax seethes, hands all but strangling the steering wheel.

They watch as Issa answers the door, accepts the flowers and gives the guy a kiss on the cheek. Opie has to grab Jax’s arm before he jumps out the car and lunges at Mr. I Brought Issa the Wrong Flowers.

They watch as Issa and her date get in his, as Jax called it, boring ass Honda, and head out. Jax tails them at a safe distance, complaining about everything from the color of the guy’s car to how he walked. Opie has been secretly recording Jax on his phone the entire time because this is prime blackmail material.

They follow the couple to Hog Heaven, one of Issa’s favorite restaurants in Charming. Put barbecue sauce on just about anything and she’ll consider eating it. This seems to be the only choice Honda Dude (as her date has now been dubbed) has made that Jax deems acceptable.

Jax parks the truck and sits there stewing as he watches Issa and Honda Dude go in and get seated. Lucky for their spying purposes, the waitress puts them at a booth next to a window. Opie is half expecting Jax to pull out binoculars. When he does just that, Opie tries again to be the voice of reason.

“I’m gonna go on record again with my objections to this obvious violation of Issa’s privacy.”

Jax doesn’t even take his eyes away from the binoculars to respond to Opie. “When did you become such a boy scout?”

“Sorry I have objections to stalking our best friend.”

“It’s not stalking. It’s looking out for her without her knowing.”

“So… stalking.”

“Shut up, Judge Judy.”


	3. Issa and Opie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most boring date of Issa's life turns out to be the best night of her life.

* * *

_Issa_

Nero Padilla is more than her mother’s cousin to Issa. He has always looked out for her, been a shoulder to cry on and a strong connection to her latina roots. When she decided to move to Charming permanently, her and Nero started having weekly lunches together. Even if it was a little weird to have lunch at a porn studio. Issa has learned to block out any noises that filter into Nero’s office.

It was during one of their most recent lunches that Nero once again brought up her feelings for Jax.

“Pequeña, you can’t keep waiting around for Teller to come to his senses.”

“I’m not waiting around for anybody,” Issa denies, really not wanting to go down this road again. “ In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit busy trying to open a business.”

Nero leans back in his office chair, arms folded and one eyebrow arched. “I don’t know what’s worse. You lying to me or you lying to yourself.”

She made the mistake of blurting out she was in love with Jax when Nero wouldn’t stop playing matchmaker. Ever since she moved to Charming, he’s been a one man Cupid. She thought admitting her feelings would make him drop it. If anything, it’s made him even more determined to set her up.

“There are a lot of great guys out there that you’re passing up. I’m not saying Jax will never feel the same way. In fact, I think he does. But will he ever admit it? That’s another story.”

Issa tries to steer the conversation to other things - the newest numbers for Redwoody, Juice expressing an interest in helping out on the tech side of things, hell even Nero’s car. But the man is relentless. Then he mentions the one thing that worries Issa the most.

“Even if he does love you, the guy doesn’t have the best track record,” Nero says, voice gentle as if trying to soften the hard truth. “Don’t settle for someone who’s going to fuck around on you just because you’ve loved him since you were kids. You can do better.”

And that is the very reason Issa never confessed her feelings to Jax. She has watched him plow through the female population of Charming ever since he hit puberty. When he was with Tara, he still slept around with croweaters. How she never found out is beyond Issa because croweaters are gossipy as hell. They even ranked their sexual experiences with Jax against each other. Apparently he never went down on any of them and it was a competition to see who could get him to do it first. All of it made Issa’s skin crawl.

Jax has said time and again he’s not looking for a relationship. He likes being single, likes the freedom of sleeping around and not being tied to one woman. That’s fine for him, especially since he’s upfront about it with any girl he beds. At least he’s decent enough not to string them along just to get in their pants. Even if Delilah Harper thinks she has a magical pussy that will change Jax’s mind.

But Issa is a romantic at heart and wants something meaningful and solid. She wants a partner that loves and respects her and would never even consider cheating on her. As much as it hurts to admit, she doesn’t think Jax is capable of giving her that. And she loves herself too much to settle for anything less.

“Look, I know this guy,” Nero says, reaching for a pen and piece of paper. “ He’s smart, sweet, very respectful. I think you and him would get along. Just give him a call. If you don’t click, I’ll drop it.”

Issa sighs, putting down her sandwich. She thinks about all the times she’s turned down dates in the past, claiming it’s because she’s too busy. It dawns on her that Nero may have a point. Whether she meant to or not, she has sort of been hoping Jax will come to his senses. Maybe it’s time to let this foolish, school girl crush go. And Nero is a good judge of character. Why not let him set her up?

“Fine. I’ll give him a call. No promises though!”

And that’s how Issa has ended up here, trapped on the worst date of her life. Because while Brandon may be nice, he is dull as dishwater. Did Nero purposely find the most boring man in all of San Joaquin county?

After chatting a few times on the phone and exchanging text messages, they decided to meet for dinner. Brandon insisted she pick the restaurant. Issa decided on Hog Heaven because even if the date turned out to be a bust, she knew the food would be good.

Red flag number one came when Brandon showed up at her door wearing a bow tie. Who the fuck wears a bow tie to a barbecue joint? Red flag number two came when they were seated at their table and Brandon announced he was a vegetarian.

“Uhmm, I’m sorry,” Issa says, wondering why a vegetarian agreed to go to a place that smokes their meat on the premises. “Had I known, I would have suggested another restaurant.”

Brandon waves away her apology, a bland smile on his face. “Don’t worry about it. You said this was your favorite place in Charming. I’m sure they have something I can eat.”

The conversation doesn’t pick up from there either. He seems to love the sound of his own voice because he’s dominating most of it. Going on and on about his job as a sports statistician. Issa has no interest in sports unless it’s boxing or hockey - both of which involve fighting. No one cares about statistics if you can watch two guys beat the shit out of each other.

When Issa orders the brisket platter, Brandon rattles off facts about the dangers of red meat.

“Did you think I wanted to come to a place called Hog Heaven to order a salad?” she snaps.

If there’s one thing she hates, it’s someone trying to tell her what to do. To spite him, Issa stops the waitress and asks for a side of ribs to go with her brisket. When their food comes, she chucks her table manners and goes to town on her ribs. She knows there won’t be a second date and she’s hungry.

It’s thirty minutes into this disaster masquerading as a date and he’s yet to ask her a single question. She’s imagining ways to exact revenge on Nero, all of which are far more entertaining than Brandon. Around the time he starts blathering on about his adult kickball league, Issa’s eyes trail to the parking lot and a suspiciously familiar pickup truck. She squints a bit and sure enough, there’s Jax, with goddamn binoculars, and Opie. She can tell this wasn’t Opie’s idea because he looks like he wants to be anywhere but here. Which means Jax, the fucking entitled prick, took it upon himself to spy on her date.

Issa is livid.

She cuts into whatever Brandon is saying and excuses herself for a moment. She makes a beeline for Jax and Opie, a wave of anger radiating off of her. Opie, because he has some sense, jumps out of the truck and puts his hands up in surrender.

“This was not my idea!”

Issa hears Jax yell “traitor” from the cab of his truck.

“Oh I know you’ve got the sense god gave you. This one is a different story,” she points to Jax.

“How did you know we were out here?” Jax asks, stepping out to face her wrath.

“Because my dad trained me to be hyper aware of my surroundings and the two of you fucking suck at surveillance. For one, don’t park under a goddamn streetlight!”

Opie and Jax look up as if that’s the first time they noticed the blinding spotlight on the truck.

“Second, don’t park so close to your surveillance target that they can see your face clear as day!”

Opie steps away from the truck a bit, trying to distance himself from what’s about to go down. Jax, the fucking dumbass, decides now is the best time to get in Issa’s face.

“Well if you hadn’t been so damn sneaky about your date, we wouldn’t have resorted to this!”

“Do not include me in this dude,” Opie shakes his head and steps even further away.

“Sneaky?? So wanting you to respect my privacy is being sneaky?”

“It is when you could be putting yourself in danger! The fuck did you even meet this guy? He’s driving a Honda for god’s sake!”

Issa will never admit that she also silently judged Brandon’s choice of cars when he pulled up to her house.

“I can take care of myself, Jackson! I could snap Brandon like a twig and you know it!”

“That’s not the point! We have no idea who this asshole is and you were being all weird about it!”

“Since when do I have to run my dates by you? I don’t see you asking me if it’s okay to stick your dick in whatever warm hole happens to walk by you!”

“That’s different!”

“How the fuck is that any different? Why is it okay for you to whore it up all over Charming but I have to sit at home like Little Virgin on the Prairie?”

“Because I fucking love you, damnit!” he roars.

They both stare at each other in silence, Issa looking shocked and Jax looking panicked.

 _He can’t possibly mean…_ Issa starts to think but that goes out the window when Jax grabs her face and crashes their lips together. It takes her a few seconds to realize he’s kissing her. When she does, she gets with the program quickly. His lips are fucking soft and… oh my god he just slipped his tongue into her mouth.

His hands slide down to her waist and somehow she ends up with her back against his truck. He nips a bit at her bottom lip before diving full tilt into her mouth. He trails a hand up to her neck and holds her in place. Issa hears tiny whimpers and is shocked to discover they’re coming from her. Jax plasters himself against her and does a thing with his tongue that makes her see stars.

No wonder Delilah was rubbing up on him like a cat in heat. If he’s that good with his tongue in her mouth, holy hell. What else can he do with it?

She moves her hand into his hair, scratching her nails lightly against his scalp. He must really like that because he somehow manages to bring her even closer to him. He lets his lips trail from her mouth down to her neck, licking and nipping on her skin. She shudders, throwing her head back to give him better access. He chuckles because the asshole knows her neck is Issa’s weak spot. That’s when she remembers just how much he knows about her. And fuck, does that mean she’s in trouble.

Only when they hear Opie say, “It’s about damn time” do they separate. Issa has to blink away the lust because she really wants to climb Jax like a tree.

“I’m in love with you, Issa,” he whispers, cupping the side of her face. “Have been since the day you knocked out Billy Turner because he said girls can’t ride bikes.”

“That was… Jax I was ten when I punched that little shit.”

He gives her a gentle smile. “I know. It’s always been you, Isabelle. Only you.”

His eyes are boring into her, almost pleading with her to believe him. It takes her breath away because she has never seen Jax look at anyone like this before. He leans forward to kiss her again but she stops him with a hand to his shoulder.

“And all this time, you’ve what? Secretly been in love with me while you fucked everyone else BUT me?”

Jax steps away from her, clearly exasperated.

“We didn’t live in the same town! I’m never leaving Charming and I wasn’t sure you’d ever stay. I was terrified of risking our friendship. I can’t lose you, Issa! You’re too important to me.”

God, the way he’s watching her, waiting for her to say something. She can see his hands twitching at his side, as if he needs to touch her again. She can feel her resolve, her very heart melting.

“Shut up, you fucking idiot,” Issa says before grabbing his hoodie and pulling him into another kiss. Hopefully one of the first of many.

 _Thank god I wore a dress,_ is the last coherent thought she has as his hand trails up her thigh.

_Opie_

Opie is happy for his friends (and his sanity), really he is. But he can do without watching them practically dry hump on the hood of Jax’s truck.

He’s about ready to go find a hose to turn on them when he hears a “What the hell’s going on?” behind him.

He turns around to see Honda Dude staring at Jax and Issa all over each other. Opie looks the guy over, trying to figure out how he managed to get a date with Issa in the first place. He’s wearing a goddamn bowtie. Who the fuck wears a bow tie to a barbecue joint?

“Think the date’s over,” Opie points toward the couple shamelessly groping each other in Hog Heaven’s parking lot. “You may wanna leave before he comes up for air and beats your ass.”

“I’m not the one kissing someone else’s date!” Bow Tie Wearing Honda Dude scoffs.

“Doesn’t matter. Whether these two idiots knew it or not, Issa has always belonged with Jax.”

The guy prattles on about red meat and cholesterol as he stomps toward his milquetoast car.

Opie smiles fondly at his friends. He was this close to locking them in a closet or some other cliche, rom com shit. Anything to put all of them (but most especially him) out of their misery. They belong together, everyone else can see it. Maybe now they see it too. Opie can’t help but feel all gooey inside.

Until he sees Jax’s hand go up Issa’s dress.

“For fuck’s sake! This is a family restaurant!”


End file.
